Efficacy of Intervention Learning Materials in Enhancing English Comprehension among Students with Hearing Impairment in Inclusive Tanzanian Secondary Schools

Abstract

This study intends to provide insights into the importance of customized educational interventions materials derived from research and their potentials to bridge the comprehension gap for students with hearing impairments embarking on intervention research to establish the efficacy of the developed intervention learning materials in improving language comprehension ability among students with hearing impairment in inclusive classrooms in secondary schools in Tanzania. The study adopted a developmental design using a pre-test, post-test quasi-experimental mixed approach in which the experimental group was subjected to intervention using designed intervention materials while the control group used a traditional approach in learning comprehension. The study employed questionnaires, interviews, and documentary review as methods of data collection. The quantitative evaluation employed paired sample t-test and independent t-test to compare scores within the group and between the experimental and control groups. The qualitative evaluation used a phenomenographic approach. The findings revealed that the post-test mean scores of the students in the experimental group improved significantly in comparison with the control group. In conclusion, the designed ILMs improved the English language comprehension ability of the targeted students. Sign language interpretation enabled students with HI to understand what was taught in the classroom. Consequently, students with HI were able to contribute to group work and classroom discussion.